IDF Intensifies Offensive Against Hamas Amid Ongoing Ceasefire Talks

Israeli forces have launched targeted raids on Hamas sites in southern Gaza, particularly Rafah and Khan Yunis, over the past 24 hours, eliminating numerous terrorists. Concurrently, negotiations for a ceasefire agreement continue, with key Israeli demands including maintaining a presence in the Philadelphi Corridor.

Jerusalem [Israel], July 29 (ANI/TPS): Israeli soldiers have intensified targeted raids on Hamas facilities in the southern Gaza areas of Rafah and Khan Yunis in the last 24 hours, the Israel Defense Forces announced Monday morning. Numerous terrorists were eliminated during the operation through airstrikes and close-quarters combat.

Ground forces also dismantled Hamas infrastructure in Khan Yunis. Over the past day, the Air Force struck 35 Hamas targets across Gaza, including armed squads, infrastructure, and buildings rigged with explosives.

Meanwhile, Mossad director David Barnea returned to Israel on Sunday night after a series of multilateral talks on a ceasefire agreement in Gaza. "Mossad Director David Barnea has come back from his meeting with the mediators in Rome. At the meeting, the sides discussed the clarification of a draft agreement conveyed from Israel," the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement.

"Negotiations on the main issues will continue in the coming days," the statement added. Israel reportedly demanded that its forces remain in the Philadelphi Corridor—a buffer zone along the Gaza-Egypt border—during the first phase of the ceasefire. It also requested a list of all living hostages and an inspection mechanism to ensure that Hamas members in southern Gaza do not return to the northern Strip.

At least 1,200 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas's attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Among the 115 remaining hostages, 39 have been declared dead. Hamas has also held two Israeli civilians captive since 2014 and 2015 and has the bodies of two soldiers killed in 2014. (ANI/TPS)